Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia’s fight against undocumented immigration could bring economic challenges to Alachua County’s immigrant communities.
Ingoglia’s proposed legislation was filed Jan. 7 and 8 in the Florida Senate and House, respectively, by sponsors Sen. Jonathan Martin and Rep. Berny Jacques.
The proposal restricts undocumented immigrants' access to state programs and services, such as state-chartered bank accounts, down payment assistance programs, commercial driver's licenses and workers' compensation programs.
The proposal would also prohibit driver’s license instruction and testing in any language other than English.
In a public address Jan. 15, Ingoglia said the legislation would bolster “Florida’s strong stance against illegal immigration” and “create even more deterrents for illegal immigrants trying to enter our state.”
The proposed legislation has raised concern among immigrant communities and legal experts throughout Alachua County for its potential impact on employment, banking and housing stability.
Bank account restrictions
Ingoglia’s legislation targets state-chartered banks, which are financial institutions regulated by state authorities rather than the federal government. Due to this status, the state has authority over restricting who may open accounts or access certain financial services. There were 58 state-chartered banks in Florida as of the end of 2024, controlling about $111 million in assets, according to the Conference of State Bank Supervisors.
The legislation blocks undocumented immigrants from opening accounts or using cashier checks at these banks. Without access to banking, advocates say, undocumented immigrants will have a harder time paying bills such as rent and utilities.
“Many people are staying hidden, and others are already considering returning to their home countries because of these immigration measures,” said Sonia Mejia, an immigration services provider who offers immigration form preparation and administrative assistance in Ocala.
The legislation increases undocumented immigrants’ vulnerability to theft and wage exploitation, Mejia said, while making it riskier for undocumented individuals to report crimes.
She’s recently noticed immigrants are increasingly hesitant to invest, open bank accounts or move forward with long-term plans because of proposed and actualized government actions, she said. The climate of uncertainty, she added, has also increased the risk of fraud, as vulnerable individuals may be targeted by scams.
“Immigrants should get legal counseling … and make sure their lawyer has good reviews from other immigrants,” Mejia said. “It's better to seek help than to stay hidden.”
The bill won’t just affect working parents, but their children, said Alma Lopez, an 18-year-old UF political science freshman. Lopez said her parents were previously undocumented, so she has firsthand experience with the challenges families like hers face.
“[Kids in mixed-status families] depend on their parents 100%,” she said. “So, not having access to banking or employment … would make it so much more difficult to have access to that [support].”
Laura dePaz Cabrera, an immigration attorney and founder of the Gainesville-based dePaz Cabrera Immigration Law firm, said the bills are part of a broader effort to expand state-level enforcement of immigration laws, traditionally handled by the federal government.
“The main focus is on employment verification, both from employer penalties for not verifying state cooperation with federal immigration authorities, and then penalties tied to a person’s immigration status,” Cabrera said.
Down payment assistance
The bills would also prevent certain individuals from accessing down payment assistance programs such as Hometown Heroes, which provides first-time home buyers in professions like education or first responders with low interest rates and up to 5% of the first mortgage loan to make homeownership more affordable
Cabrera warned these changes could have broad economic implications. She said industries like construction that lose their best employees will have to hire temporary workers who may not perform as well at a higher cost, which gets passed on to homeowners.
“It's going to have a trickle-down effect, and that's the case with most things having to do with immigration,” she said. “A large part of our economy in Florida is driven by the blood, sweat and tears of the undocumented population.”
According to Cabrera, economic damage has already followed similar legislation, such as another bill passed in 2023. The law introduced stricter immigration enforcement, such as requiring hospitals to ask patients and emergency room visitors about their immigration status. It also limits local governments from funding community ID programs for undocumented residents.
Commercial driver’s license tests
Under the legislation, all commercial driver’s licenses and pre-licensing instruction and testing will be only done in English, eliminating the previous Spanish option.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles announced Jan. 30 that all vehicle licensing exams will now be administered exclusively in English. However, unless codified through legislative action, the change could be reversed by a future governor’s administration.
Cabrera said the bills could also affect U.S. citizens who are non-English speakers. The Florida Literacy Coalition estimates that 35% of naturalized Florida citizens are not fluent in English, which is higher than the national average.
“If you have somebody who moves from Puerto Rico to the state of Florida … if that person wants to obtain a commercial driving license … they would be negatively impacted,” she said.
Contact Dulce Rodriguez-Escamilla at drodriguez@alligator.org. Follow her on X @DulceRodrigueze.
Dulce Rodriguez is a sophomore Journalism Major with a Public Relations minor in her first semester at The Alligator, working as El Caimán's general assignment reporter. She loves to dance and bake in her free time, and she also enjoys watching murder mysteries and documentaries.
